By Jacqui – One of God’s Intercessors
I’ve had an interesting morning of prayer. Three prayer meetings with three different groups; some with big prayer needs and one without, and I’ve come away realizing that often when things are going well, some feel there is no need to pray.
After all, there’s work to be done – meetings to get to, reports to write up, phone calls and e-mails and the list goes on. So, I ask you today, are you falling into the trap of “I’m OK, no need to pray”?
Have you lost the middle ground of prayer that happens somewhere between “Praise God!” for a big answered prayer and “Please pray for me, my world is crumbling around me”?
I just want to share, friend, that there is a wonderful area of prayer that I will call “Relationship with God” prayer that you might be missing out on. Or, maybe you know it well, but you also know someone else who doesn’t. In case you’re not sure what I’m talking about, let me explain.
We can pray to God even when he didn’t just answer our biggest prayer request the way we hoped he would. We can pray to God and thank him for all the little blessings we receive on a daily basis. In case you haven’t noticed, they are happening. No matter how bad life gets, God is still giving us small blessings. A good night’s sleep, a shower with warm water, food in the pantry, shoes that fit, a drive to work without a wreck…the list goes on. We can pray just to say, “Thank you God” for caring about me.
We can pray to God when life is going well. Maybe, life isn’t “Hallmark perfect”, but it’s just going well. Your healthy. Your bills are paid. Your kids are getting along and you realize that you truly like being with your spouse. Your job is ok and the neighbor next door seems like an OK guy. We can still pray.
OK, I’ll pause here a moment, because I realize some of you might be a bit confused. Why pray if things are going well? Here’s why I pray then and all the time. I pray because I truly love talking to God. I know he cares about the smallest details in my life (he knows the number of hairs on my head!) and I really like to ask for his wisdom in the decisions I make each day. God loves me and he loves YOU. I hope you’ll take some time to talk with him in prayer.
Wait, before you go, there’s another very big reason to pray even when you’re OK and feeling there’s no need to pray. That’s when it’s time to pray for someone else. You see, even though you’re feeling OK, someone else you know may not be. So, how about praying for that person? It could be your co-worker who’s been looking a little tired lately could benefit from a prayer you say. Remember what Jesus told us. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” When you’re feeling tired or carrying a burden, wouldn’t it be quite a gift to learn that someone else noticed and prayed for you without even being asked! Well, how about being that person for someone else?
I hope today you’ll stop and pray even if you’re OK. May God bless you.